Holland House Surgery - Ratings and reviews
Reviews
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Review titled Personal Experience
Rated 5 stars out of 5
by Paul Swarbrick - Posted on 05 May 2024
I have read the negative comments and would like to post my recent and past experiences with the practice. Firstly I would like to add I have had multi cancer treatment and suffer a chronic condition. Arranging appointments does require you to ring at 8.00am and depending on how soon to that time you ring determines your wait time and queue. I have no problem with the trained receptionist asking questions as a triage as they are trained in picking up certain answers thus determining your level of emergency. Each day emergency appointments are reserved which the receptionist can allocate for those deemed applicable. The information provided also allows the doctor or other medically trained personel to gain foresight which will speed up the appointment. All the medical staff I have been seen by have been very professional, considerate and helpful in diagnosing and treatment of my ailments. I have also had reason to call in reception most recently to address repeat prescriptions and medication removed from my repeat meds due to usage. On both occasions the receptionist rectified my queries by amending one quantity on one and by issueing a prescription to my specified pharmacy for the (time elapsed between prescription) on the second). So from my personal experience I cannot fault the medical and associated surgery staff. I have been with Holland House nearly 20 years as has my whole family. I have seen relocation and many changes during that period. People need to understand the NHS doesn't provide unlimited funding and all surgery's are stretched to the limit, just as hospitals are. Individuals working with the medical staff have taken on new rolls as part of their employ to maximise the surgery's efficiency within budget. I don't want to get into the politics too much but let's applaud the staff and their efforts in an environment where financial control is out of their hands. I thank each member of staff whenever I have needed to request the surgery's assistance and would like to reiterate that same thanks in this review. I am sure there are many patients that speak well of the surgery, unfortunately this isn't TripAdvisor so you will generally find negative feedback which will be in the minority.
Visited April 2024
Holland House Surgery has not yet replied.
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Review titled Unable to arrange a doctors appointment
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 17 April 2024
Despite both visiting and calling I am unable to arrange a doctors appointment. I called NHS111 who referred me to a local pharmacy (Windmill). I spoke to the pharmacist who was adamant she would be unable to deal with my enquiry which is MSK. She also advised me they were inundated with NHS 111 enquiries they were unable and unqualified to deal with. A major contributing factor being “there are no available Holland House appointments for the entire month”. Therefore why does this site advise HH has availability for new patients when the current patients are unable to see a doctor?
Visited March 2024
Review titled Holland House Surgery
Replied on 22 April 2024
Dear Patient, I am sorry that you have had difficulty in arranging an appointment at the surgery. Unfortunately, we are very busy (as is every GP surgery hence the comment from NHS 111) and there is a limit to the amount of appointments we can provide each day. We do provide appointments up to 4 weeks ahead but we cannot keep up with the demand for them. However, you have advised that you have a problem that is possibly a musculo skeletal (MSK) issue. Are you aware that you do not need to see a GP for MSK issues? We have a dedicated MSK specialist working at the practice for 2 days a week and we do normally have appointments available to be seen with the specialist. As with many other practices, we do have a range of clinicians working with us so that you do not have to see a GP for many common ailments any more. This helps to reduce the pressure on GP appointments and also enables patients to be seen by other highly qualified professionals who are specialists in their field. As well as the MSK Practitioner, we have 2 Advanced clinical practitioners, 2 clinical Pharmacists, a Physician’s Associate and a Mental Health Practitioner working with the team as well as access to social prescribers and well being practitioners through our Primary Care Network. As you have mentioned, Primary Care is also supported by colleagues in NHS 111, Walk in and Same Day Emergency Centres as well as local Community Pharmacies. Our staff ask questions of patients to try to signpost them to the most appropriate service for the condition that they present with so that they are seen by the most appropriate clinician in the shortest time frame possible. We do see a lot of patients in the practice and most of are seen face to face. However, that does not mean that everyone can be seen at the time and place of their choosing because unfortunately the NHS does not have unlimited resources. Lastly, you have asked about new patient registrations and why the practice is still taking on patients. Unlike other services such as dental practices, Primary Care is not allowed to close to new patient registrations but we do insist that new patients live within our practice boundary before they register with us. Judith Milne Practice Manager Holland House Surgery
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Review titled Very bad
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Annoyed - Posted on 23 March 2024
Tried to get an appointment with a Dr with no result Phoned at 7.58 held in a queue of 15 to be told no appointment go to the walk in centre I went to the walk in centre and waited nearly 2 hours to be told try this but go and see your Dr as the could not diagnose my problem
Visited March 2024
Review titled Holland House Surgery
Replied on 25 March 2024
Hi, Unfortunately, the level of demand for GP appointments means that we do not always have an appointment at the time or place that a patient prefers and so we have to offer suitable alternatives based on the symptoms that you describe to us. This is not fobbing anyone off, nor is it at our convenience but is rather a reflection on the demands in the system exceeding the resources available to meet them. We therefore have to prioritise appointment provision for those most in need. We have never treated any of our patients as an inconvenience and I can assure you that we do care very passionately about our patients. We would like nothing better than to give everyone what they ask for when they ask for it for but unfortunately, that is just not possible to do. If you would like to contact me direct to discuss this further, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. I can be contacted by telephone at 01253 229470 or by email at lscicb-fw.hollandhousemanagers@nhs.net Regards, Judith Milne Practice Manager Holland House Surgery
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Review titled Stressed!
Rated 2 stars out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 29 December 2023
After a call to book an appointment this a.m I as more stressed than I was before I rang! Rang at 8:00 on the dot, put on ring back, it was a hour later! Triaged by the receptionist! This can’t be right ! Trying to explain to a non medical person is very unsatisfactory! You are not triaged by someone who answers the phone if you go A&E! Fobbed off with an appointment at another practice or one 10 days away! The appointment system need to be radically changed to one that caters for worried patients not for the convenience of the practice. The alternative is to queue up in morning at 8, in the 21st century? It gives one the feeling that you are inconveniencing them by trying to secure an appointment at all ! As an elderly lady said to me last time I visited the surgery , ‘It’s as thought they don’t care !”
Visited December 2023
Review titled Holland House Surgery
Replied on 02 January 2024
Hi, Thank you for your feedback. Perhaps it might help if I explain the processes that are used at the practice to help us with patient requests for help. We receive nearly 400 incoming phone calls a day which we do our best to answer as quickly as possible. However, with the large volume of calls, there are inevitably delays for the phone to be answered at peak times between 8:00am and 11:00am daily. Our new callback system means that you do not have to queue in person and are not tied to the phone but can instead make yourself as comfortable as possible whilst waiting for the callback. The system keeps your place for you so you are not disadvantaged in any way if you use the facility. Many patients find this much more convenient and less stressful because they are not tied to the phone. Once you get through to our reception team, they will ask you some questions to help ensure that we get you to the right care for you at the right time. All of our reception team have been through NHS training to enable them to take your details and signpost you to the most appropriate service for the symptoms that you have. This is called non clinical triage and is operated by GP surgeries throughout the country. There are a lot of services provided now by the NHS and your GP may no longer be the most appropriate person for you to see for your condition and so our team will use the information you provide to direct you to where you need to go. For some patients, this may well be to be seen at a local Pharmacy, an Extended Access Service, Urgent Care Centre or Emergency services such as A&E. These are all part of the provision of primary care services alongside your GP or other clinical practitioner within the practice and are there to help provide care for you in the most accessible and convenient way possible. Unfortunately, the level of demand for GP appointments means that we do not always have an appointment at the time or place that a patient prefers and so we have to offer suitable alternatives based on the symptoms that you describe to us. This is not fobbing anyone off, nor is it at our convenience but is rather a reflection on the demands in the system exceeding the resources available to meet them. We therefore have to prioritise appointment provision for those most in need. We have never treated any of our patients as an inconvenience and I can assure you that we do care very passionately about our patients. We would like nothing better than to give everyone what they ask for when they ask for it for but unfortunately, that is just not possible to do. If you would like to contact me direct to discuss this further, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. I can be contacted by telephone at 01253 229470 or by email at lscicb-fw.hollandhousemanagers@nhs.net Judith Milne Practice Manager Holland House Surgery
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Review titled Dreadful
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Jayne - Posted on 12 September 2023
I do not visit often apart from routine vaccinations etc, however, have recently been experiencing chest pain and various other symptoms that may or may not be associated and which are worrying me. Go and see your GP the NHS website tells me …….. not a chance at Holland House, Lytham. The receptionist took it upon herself to refuse to make an appointment for me (after nearly an hour trying to get through) and suggested I go to the Walk In Centre. I rang the Walk in Centre who said they should not have said this. What an utter disgrace and complete shambles. I will now seek to make a private appt after paying into this for 35 years.
Visited September 2023
Review titled Holland House Surgery
Replied on 14 September 2023
Hi Jayne, thank you for your comments. Unfortunately, I am unable to trace any record of a phone call from you so I would be grateful if you would kindly get in touch to discuss what happened to you so that we can investigate further. Please call me on 01253 229470 - remember you do not have to wait on the phone for a reply but can use the call back facility - or if you prefer send me an email with the details to lscicb-fw.hollandhousemanagers@nhs.net. Kind regards, Judith Milne Practice Manager Holland House Surgery
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Review titled Absolute chaos
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 12 May 2023
Can't get an appointment theres'always some problem getting through ...its'a joke it really is ..this is true my health problems have build up as I cant get appointments it actually now gives me anxiety phoning them it truly does ...some of the staff have really bad attitudes on reception ....after my 3rd attempt this week in trying to get an appointment I've decided to go and try and register with another doctors ....holland house your appointment system is just not acceptable you should be ashamed of yourselves
Visited May 2023
Review titled Holland House Surgery
Replied on 17 May 2023
Dear Patient, You have posted this review on a day that BT caused a major system outage for practices on the Fylde Coast. This is something that was totally outside of the control of Holland House and was certainly not an excuse. We did our best to communicate to our patients that there was a problem but with limited access to telephone or network facilities, this was very difficult for us to do and I apologise if we did not get information out to you in a timely manner. The situation was extremely stressful for all of us as it occurred at the busiest time of the day – first thing in the morning – and took some time to recover. We called on staff at home to help out but some patients will still have been inconvenienced by the fault and for this we are very sorry. We have invested in a new telephone system that has callback facilities so that you do not have to wait on the line to speak to us any longer. Instead you can reserve your place in the queue and we call you back once your place is reached. We have done this to try and help reduce the long wait times on the phone but unfortunately we are still vulnerable to BT unplugging the network. Holland House offers routine appointments up to 4 weeks ahead but as with most GP services in the country, the demand on our services is so great that these are taken up very quickly. We do reserve a number of emergency appointments for use on the day but there are times when we are unable to accommodate every patient request that we receive. When we have reached our safe operating capacity, we redirect patients to other primary care services (such as local pharmacies, 111 or the Walk in Centre) who are there to help in these circumstances. The NHS is not a bespoke service and does not have infinite resources so there are times when we just cannot manage to see everyone who wants an appointment within the practice. I am very proud of our reception team who do their very best to help patients and they are frequently complimented on their friendly, helpful service. It is unfortunate that there are some patients who do not recognise that the staff are doing their best and are working within a system that is under severe strain so cannot accommodate everything that is asked of them. We were badly affected by the problems BT caused on Friday and so we may very well not have been as tolerant of patient frustrations as we usually are. This is something I am not going to apologise for as we are human too. Judith Milne Holland House Surgery
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Review titled Absolutely appalling
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 01 November 2022
This practice has gone from bad to worse. If you are lucky enough to get through on the phone after 30-40 minutes on hold, you will probably be told that there are no appointments and the only appointments they do have are for medical emergencies only!? Is that not what A&E and the 999 is for!? You cannot book an appointment in advance and have to ring everyday when they release a handful of appointments. How are you meant to manage this if you work? The only response they offer is to go to a walk in centre which are under so much pressure because GP's are not seeing patients. Or, you could queue outside the practice from 8am to see if you are luckier that way. Again, how are you meant to manage this when you work as you can be waiting there for hours. Or, how are the elderly meant to deal with this when they are not as mobile, maybe don't drive and in the middle of winter? Shame on you Holland House.
Visited October 2022
Holland House Surgery has not yet replied.
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Review titled Terrible practice
Rated 1 star out of 5
by Anonymous - Posted on 14 June 2022
Rude reception staff, who have no empathy and feel it appropriate to talk over you (and sometimes like to triage what they think you should do even though they are not qualified to make those clinical decisions). The common line is that if you need an appointment there aren’t any available (including out of hours bookable appts) and therefore you have to travel to the Walk in Centre (8 miles away) with a sick child. No accountability, never enough clinicians for the number of patients or admin staff to answer calls within 53 minutes. No ownership by the practice to act on genuine feedback or development services required for modern day healthcare service provision. Cannot ever get the online booking system to actually book an appointment at either surgery site (appointments not bookable, either that day or in the future). A far cry from the previous partners that ran the surgery.
Visited June 2022
Holland House Surgery has not yet replied.